I’m originally from Memphis and I graduated from Central High School in 1995. Immediately, I enlisted into the United States Air Force and was stationed at Travis AFB, CA. I was there for three years and then returned to Memphis in 1998. I joined the Air National Guard and worked as a logistics specialist, recruiter, human resource specialist and training and development manager. Presently, I’m serving as a Master Sergeant (E-7) and handling wing training management and development, Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) advisement and a couple other programs and special projects.

I am remarried to my magnificent husband of two years, and combined, we have three children: aged 14, 13 and 11, and three dogs. I have a background in career development, and was trying to figure out how to use my talent in a very impactful way. I’m a member of Hope Church and I remembered that Oasis of Hope is a non-profit affiliate. It offers holistic services for poverty liberation. I felt like Oasis of Hope was the organization that could possibly use my help. I contacted Terry and asked if I could create a career counseling program for the neighborhood adults. I wanted to begin honing my skills more towards occupational development of impoverished families. Terry helped set everything up and I started seeing clients on my off days.

When I found out that Oasis had an opening, I knew I had to apply for the job. I realized that God had meticulously developed my career, so that I could use my experience for developing the careers of others. I plan to offer career development and mental health services to low income families. My immediate goals are to gain a MSSW in Social Work and become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Also, I will seek a designation in career development. We must encourage a healthy relationship with our neighbors, by assisting them in self-sustainment. My prayer is that we decrease dependency, and provide support during the transformative process.

School is officially back in session, and our Oasis youth staff is busy planning a great Fall line-up of youth and education programs.

But…as always, we need your help!! Please prayerfully consider volunteering your time in one of these areas. Even an hour a week can really make a difference! As many of you already know, it will be a life-changing experience, not only for a child who needs a little extra help, but for YOU, too.

**There will be an Oasis Youth Volunteer Info Meeting at Hope Church, Wednesday, August 27 at 6 p.m. in Room 230. Make plans to join us to hear more about the programs, and meet the staff, as well as some of our veteran volunteers. Contact Brenda with any questions at: Brenda@oasis-of-hope.com, or 901-496-5516.

Also, we are excited about our new Oasis Volunteer & Mentor Training on Sept. 3 & 10, 6-7:30 pm at Bickford Community Center (233 Henry Ave.), and are strongly encouraging all of our volunteers to attend both days. The sessions will cover the specifics of each Oasis program, as well as provide practical, hands-on tips that volunteers and mentors can use in working with our urban youth.

LIFE BUILDERS High School Group – Dramatically impact the lives of high school students at this pivotal teenage stage of life. This group helps students gain practical life skills, as well as grow spiritually.
Contact: Martell@oasis-of-hope.com, 246-6010
The Green House, 245 Guthrie Ave.
Thursdays, 6:00-7:30

WARRIOR PRINCESSES Girls Club – Club for 9 – 12 year old girls living in an urban, underprivileged environment that teaches life skills.
Contact: Brenda@oasis-of-hope.com, 496-5516
Bickford Community Center, 233 Henry Ave.
Every 1st & 3rd Saturday, 10:30-12:30

Effective ministry often begins by providing a practical, physical solution to someone who is struggling.

The idea of Oasis Appliance began as we tried to bridge the gap between families we worked with in North Memphis who needed help finding basic, affordable appliances/furniture and Hope Church members who had used items to pass on. Initially this process took up a lot of time on our already-taxed small staff to coordinate picking up items, identifying families to receive them, and then making the deliveries.

We definitely realized this was a huge need, however, there was way more demand than there was supply … until Mid-America Apartment Communities generously contacted us in 2008 with an amazing offer to donate their used appliances when they were upgrading entire apartment properties!

This solution of corporate donations set into motion the creation of a business plan, securing a store-front, and with much anticipation, opening the doors to the public in 2009. Our mission reached far beyond the goal of simply starting a new business, but rather providing a needed product at an affordable price with a warranty, as well as providing job training, employment and to further our reach to people living in the neighborhood. We had already developed relationships with many families who trusted us, and now we had a more dependable way to solve the need for these homes to have reliable appliances.

Last December we reorganized the appliance showroom and expanded our furniture show room in order to accommodate additional furniture, household items and electronics as well. This allowed us to not only offer a larger variety of low cost items to people in the neighborhood, but also to utilize furniture items that were donated to our newly opened partner boutique in the suburbs, Hope Again, that would not sell in that location.

If you are interested in supporting this ministry, there are 3 ways to get involved:

1) Donate your used appliance.

Although we have expanded our product stream, there is still more demand than supply and we are always looking for more partnerships willing to donate to our non-profit (tax receipts provided)! We are especially in need of washers and dryers. If you or anyone you know might be interested in making a donation, please email Deborah. We generally arrange pick-ups on Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays. Simply provide us your address and phone number and we’ll gladly remove your unwanted item.

2) Shop in our store.

We are open Tuesday/Thursday from 10am-2pm and Saturdays from 10am-12pm. We are located in North Memphis at 1294 North Thomas Street (click for directions). Phone 901.577.0013.

3) Volunteer in our store.

There is always work to be done! We could use help selling in our showroom, picking up donations or cleaning appliances.

Oasis Appliance is just one of the many ministries through Oasis of Hope. If you would like more information regarding this ministry or to get involved, email Deborah. Stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter and checking our website for pictures, videos and current information.

Our Read-2-Succeed (R2S) team – students AND volunteers – worked hard and played hard this year, and we have the results to show it! 20 Oasis students completed the 9-month program, along with 20 volunteer “coaches” who met weekly with the students. Talk about a dedicated bunch of people!

This year’s program was developed by another one of our awesome volunteers, Donna Young, to correlate with the school system’s “Team Read” tutoring program that’s being used by Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary school (where most of our students attend). Our reading goal at the beginning of the school year was two-fold:

1. Students will acquire 200 new FRY sight words by the end of the school year.

2. Students will score at least 80% accuracy in reading comprehension by the end of the school year.

Here are the results:

FRY SIGHT WORDS

– 85% gained 200+ words from baseline with the majority acquiring words well about grade level

These results speak for themselves – this program truly IS making a difference in our children’s lives! What can’t be measured with numbers, though, are other ways their lives were touched. To watch relationships develop between students and their coaches is absolutely heart-warming, and in fact, usually coaches AND students want to stay paired together as they go from year to year. Not only that, but the children learned to pray with and for each other, as well as memorized weekly Bible verses. Most students memorized 15 or more passages of Scripture, with two students learning 26 and 28 verses by heart!

The results also show however, that we still have much work to do. In fact, this program has developed such a reputation in our Oasis neighborhood that we have parents calling us all the time about openings, and already have a waiting list of students. The need is there, but we can’t grow without more volunteers. Please consider joining our team for the 2014-15 school year – we need you! Contact Brenda at Brenda@oasis-of-hope.com to learn how.

If you would like more information regarding our ministry, email Brenda. Stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter and checking our website for pictures, videos and current information.

The Fall Festival is right around the corner, and we’re gearing up for this FUN event!! This is the 13th year of the festival, and it serves the North Memphis community we serve. On October 18, 2014, from 1pm to 5pm, residents will enjoy a great atmosphere full of entertainment, to include: petting zoo, bouncy houses, balloon artistry, face painting, dancing, bingo, 3 on 3 basketball, dance contests with DJ SutchNSutch, and more! It is being held at 233 Henry Avenue, at the Bickford Community Center, which is the meeting place of the neighborhood. We invite you to join us and socialize with our community.

We can use your help in many areas, so please consider volunteering. We need people to help with Set-up, Clean-Up and to man volunteer stations (such as Sign-In, Food /Servers, Game & ride attendants, Face Painters etc.). This will be a great volunteer opportunity for a group or family!

If you don’t have the time to volunteer, please consider donating! We’re looking for raffle and bingo giveaways, so please give the following: mega packs of tissue paper and paper towels, bath towels, bars of soap, laundry and powder detergents, dishwashing liquid, tool kits, flash lights, light bulbs, bleach, comforter sets, blankets, fans, heaters, batteries, games, gift cards, etc.! We will also be giving away a grand prize which might consist of a new tv, grill, bike, or something similar. You may bring your donations to Hope Presbyterian Church (8500 Walnut Grove, Cordova, TN), or you can donate online. Your contributions will make this another successful year!

We encourage you to bring your family, friends, small group or neighbors to enjoy the day’s FREE festival. For details or more information, please contact: Jaime, (901)527-0074.